Akatsuki no Yona

This article contains anime spoilers and manga details that are not covered in the anime. The information that will be discussed are not that important so it’s not something you should really worry about. Anyway, do not proceed unless you want to be spoiled even just a little bit.

Trusting your childhood friends doesn’t sound that bad, right? Like, back then when you probably don’t even know what the word “betrayal” means, you are already together. Especially when one of them is your hot and brave bodyguard and the other is your handsome and kind cousin. For the main heroine, Princess Yona, the thought that she misjudged one of them never crossed her mind and if you were in that position, you probably wouldn’t think of that too, because that’s just rude, particularly when they were there with you when you can’t sleep, they saved your clumsy ass many times before when you were kids, and when that traitor is your crushrelative. Well, well, well… sadly, the cute princess got duped so she had no choice but to run away from the person she have always longed to be with.

Synopsis:

Princess Yona lives a life of luxury and ease, completely sheltered from the problems of the seemingly peaceful Kingdom of Kouka; however, the sudden murder of the king and betrayal of her beloved cousin Su-won places Yona’s life in mortal peril. Forced to escape only with Son Hak, who is both her childhood friend and bodyguard, the naïve princess soon discovers that Kouka is not the idyllic place she envisioned it to be. Poverty, strife, and corruption run rampant, making reclaiming the throne nothing more than a wishful fantasy given the kingdom’s current state.

Before I even watched Akatsuki no Yona, I was like, “There’s no way I’d watch an anime about history, that’d probably be boring.” Good thing I watched it anyway, or I would’ve missed it and lived a life without knowing this masterpiece. No, I’m not exaggerating., that’s genuinely what I think about this series. Akatsuki no Yona started with a rainbow, continued with a storm, and ended with a drizzle.

Yona‘s life is basically perfect. Not only because she’s the princess so she’s rich, pretty, doesn’t have to do hard work, and she’s surrounded with pretty boys, but because her father is so gentle, unlike most of the kings in the anime, books, and movies. Every reason she had behind her smile faded away as soon as she caught Soo-won, her perfect prince, killing her dearest father right in front of her eyes and looked at her with a cold expression she have never seen before as numerous swords were directed at her neck. She would never find happiness again — or so she thought. When the rest of the folks in her small world turned against her, her bodyguard, Hak, never left her side, not even once. It was because of Hak that she found a reason to fight. It was because of Hak that she lived. It was because of Hak that she changed. It was because of Hak that she found a new family. It was because of Hak that she finally found happiness with her new friends again. It was all because of him. Hak.

Then the story ended just like that.

And so drizzle remained as a drizzle, even if everyone who have watched the anime knew that rain is about to fall.

Akatsuki no Yona left me begging for more. How dare they end the show after introducing all the main characters?! THAT’S JUST PLAINLY CRUEL. As soon as it ended, I searched for the 2nd season. Yes, I didn’t even bother waiting for the ending song to finish, like I usually do. I’m pretty sure I got devastated when I knew that there are still no news about the release of the next season. I cannot sleep thinking about what’s next, so I didn’t. I STARTED READING IT IN THE MANGA BECAUSE I’M SO IMPATIENT AND I DON’T WANT TO WAIT FOR SOMETHING THAT WOULDN’T PROBABLY COME. Anyway, I hated the fact that I have to wait for the next chapter of the manga again. It’s painful, but it’s worth it.

For the next season (if there’ll be one) and for the chapters of the manga in the future, the three things I want to see are:

YONA’S DEATH

Just to be clear, I don’t want the anime to end with Yona’s death. What I’m trying to say is that at some part in the story, (1) she will almost die and everyone (Hak, Soo-won, and the dragons) will think that she actually did or (2) she will really die and live. I know #2 sounds unbelievable but according to Ik-soo‘s prophecy:

“Darkness has fallen upon the land.The blood of the dragons will revive once again, and the ancient pact will be kept.When the four dragons are gathered,the sword and shield which will protect the king shall awaken, and the Red Dragon shall restore the dawn at last.”

It was stated there that in order for the Red Dragon (Yona) to be restored, the shield and the sword shall awaken. Restored from what? No one knows. The manga is not at that point yet. I think Yona will die and she will be restored from death through the shield and the dragon, that will only be awakened when the Yona falls / dies. It all connects to the fact that Yona will die. Dawn symbolizes the beginning of something that ended. So what do you think?

2. YONA LOOKING AT SOO-WON WITH THOSE SCARY EYES

I just want to see Soo-won tremble and take a little step backward when he sees this. I specifically want to see this when the time comes that Soo-won decided to kill Hak for real, which is bound to happen soon. Oh it would really feel so good to see Yona aiming her bow at Soo-won while looking at her with this expression in her eyes. Who wouldn’t want that?

I really love Zeno. By the time that you finish watching the series and the OVAs, you’ll understand why this is for the best. I think this is it. I don’t want to see it in the story though, I just want to see that one day, there’s a possibility that he’ll die.

Favorite Character: Hak (He may not be the guy I love the most in this anime, but he’s my favorite out of all the characters. He’s handsome, selfless, caring, brave, funny, loyal, and all the good adjectives you can think of.)

Tell me who’s your favorite character in the comments section below.

10/10. This series definitely made it in my top 5. From the plot, to the characters, humor, drama, character development, story flow, art, and everything else… it is surely one of the best.